JeShawna Wholley
Spelman College
Class of 2011
Program of Study: Comparative Women’s Studies
Intended Profession: Non-Profit Management
Age: 22
Home: Marietta, GA
“When I awoke to an email with the subject line: “CONGRATULATIONS! You have been selected as a Voice & Action Award Recipient,” my immediate reaction was shock! I couldn’t believe it. My induction into the world of social activism came about because I could never stand by and watch a group of people be marginalized and isolated; I was never concerned with recognition. So, to receive a national award honoring the work that I do out of simple love and dedication to my community is AMAZING! I am so grateful and honored.” ~ JeShawna Wholley
JeShawna Wholley is currently a senior at Spelman College studying Comparative Women’s Studies expecting her Bachelor’s of Arts in May 2011.
At Spelman College, JeShawna is the former president of Afrekete, the LGBTQ group, and with her fellow members they engage their campus community in conversations “against injustices and inequalities, ensuring an inclusive climate.” However her involvement does not stop there, JeShawna served as the Project Coordinator for the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance and volunteered her time with Choice USA, coordinating a call-in day for safe sex education; as well as the Feminist Majority Foundation, coordinating the national women of color conference at Spelman College. In addition, JeShawna is employeed as an Arcus funded student researcher in the Women’s Research and Resource Center at Spelman College. Her work has not just been noticed by peers and mentors on campus; she has garnered the attention of President Obama which led JeShawna to be invited to the White House to attend the reception in commemoration of the 42nd anniversary of the Stonewall Riot. Most in our communities have been impressed with President Obama’s recognition of our Movement’s efforts; JeShawna has had the great privilege of experiencing this first hand.
The Voice & Action Committee began to learn about JeShawna through her cover letter. She shared with us why she was called into the selfless work of achieving equality for all people. To begin to learn why she is a recipient, here is an excerpt from her cover letter;
“It wasn’t until my Introduction into Women’s Studies course when I finally experienced true intellectual stimulation at Spelman College. Here, I felt empowered and equipped against the forces of patriarchy and social injustices. As I learned about crusaders such as Toni Cade and Barbara Smith I knew that I wanted to politicize my lesbianism. I wanted this identity to be more than just my orientation or preference, but a statement against patriarchy and social norms. I wanted to be a lesbian activist.
I had no idea that my quest to improve the social climate on my college campus would result in me finding my calling as an activist programmer and organizer. Conceptualizing, planning and executing programs that raised awareness, provided safe and embracing spaces and cultivated a since of community on campus has been an enriching experience that has shaped my path for my future endeavors.”
The committee is sure that her future endeavors will lead to nothing but brining about amazing positive change in any community JeShawna is a part of, we know this by reading her essay on what she views as the greatest challenges facing LGBT persons and our Allies. More importantly it is how these challenges will be met and the role everyone plays in meeting these challenges.
JeShawna explains ~ “Division is the greatest challenge that I see presently in the LGBT movement. For example, I have noticed that there is a lack of demographic spaces for African American Queer women here in Atlanta. With Atlanta being deemed “the gayest city in America” recently, I would imagine that there would be at least one acclaimed space that would serve as a safe haven and resource for this group. There are, however, several institutions in place that seem to cater to the gay male demographic (both of color and otherwise). In a casual conversation with a professor here on campus, I learned that the primary recipient of the services from one of the top foundations in Atlanta to cater to LGBT individuals with HIV/AIDS are actually queer-identified women. I was both amazed and sadden by this information, because the face of this well known non-profit organization is typically gay and male. I posed the question as to why would they deceive the people into thinking that women are not receiving access to their services. I would think they would want to flaunt the fact that they are catering to a group that is usually ignored in our greater society. My professor explained to me that the reason this is not public knowledge, the reason queer men are the face of this organization even though most of their services are provided to women, is due to the politics of federal and private funding. If people knew this information, the foundation would lose funding.
The only way that we (the LGBT community) are going to truly make and initiate change, is if we uplift each other. This means Gay men standing alongside Lesbian women in the fight for abortion rights. This means upper class members of the LGBT community coming together to support and fund grassroots activism for the movement. This means socially privileged members of the LGBT community acknowledging that the mechanisms of activism must account for the fact that the systems of oppressions can intersect across race, class and gender. Our role as the members and allies of this community entails knowing our neighbors in the struggle, identifying our individual privileges in any space and then utilizing the resources and access that we have to make the fight a little less difficult for our entire community at every tier.”
We should, NO we MUST, follow JeShawna’s lead! The only way we are going to ensure we live in a socially just world is having all people standing shoulder to shoulder supporting each other on the path to equality.
Now as we know, all great leaders have had their setbacks. For one of the essays we asked each applicant to describe a time they were unsuccessful at brining about positive change and what they learned from the experience. JeShawna shares a very candid perspective that reveals tremendous growth, which we all can learn from.
In JeShawna’s own words ~ “I was asked to attend a panel discussion Morehouse’s campus. Considering my past experiences with Morehouse “men”, I was curious as to if this could be a constructive conversation about sexuality. I got into a heated debate with another panelist. I left the space drained, frustrated and felt as though I had wasted my time. No one seemed to be receptive to my message at all. I felt defeated and began to reenact the situation in my head in an effort to identify where it went wrong. I realized a few key things. First, I learned it is important to put positive energy into the universe. I went into the space doubting the progression of the audience based on my own prejudices against Morehouse. Second, I learned that passion skates a fine line between sincere expression and irrational articulation. I let my passion get the best of me. I was so enraged by the claims being made that I didn’t allow myself to think critically, hear the opposing claim and articulate my point effectively. I lost the opportunity to make an impact because I internalized the attacks and they destabilized me.”
The lessons that JeShawna learned from this experience is a lesson that takes some leaders years to learn and to fully understand. We can all learn something from JeShawna’s experience – we need to ensure that we must remain calm at all times and try not to take opposing views as personal attacks. This will allow us to take every opportunity to educate those who are making claims that are based on misinformation. We thank JeShawna for sharing this experience with us!
So what do others have to say about JeShawna?
“JeShawna Wholley’s passion for eradicating injustice and enlightening individuals on matters pertaining to the LGBTQ community has extended beyond the Spelman College campus and into our local and national community. Her leadership abilities and early resultant successes, further coupled with her respectful affability, mark her as the ideal awardee. She is wise, astute, creative, committed, and a strong leader. JeShawna brings maturity and a strong work ethic to any endeavor she undertakes.” ~ Dr. Monica Melton, Assistant Professor in Comparative Women’s Studies
“Essentially, JeShawna is a visionary. She is a concerned and empathetic student with an expansive imagination. It is this imagination that casts her ambitions into new and unexpected heights. She has goals to achieve safer spaces and a better climate for countless LGBT groups beyond Spelman College. I have no doubts that JeShawna’s impact will be worldly and historical.” ~ Soraya Watkins, Fellow Student Leader and President of Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance
Thoughts from the Voice & Action Selection Committee; “demonstrates courage in the face of great adversity,” “Selfless application,” and finally “She puts down a very concise thought.”
We are so proud to be able to recognize JeShawna Wholley as one of the 2011 Campus Pride National Voice & Action Leadership Award recipients.
Edited and written by: Christopher Bylone, Voice & Action Selection Committee, Chair
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